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Those who live a vegan lifestyle choose to avoid using animal products such as leather and wool and also follow a diet that does not contain any meat, fish, poultry or dairy. As with any special diet, eating away from home often poses a challenge. However, vegans dining out in Alexandria, Virginia, have a variety of vegan-friendly restaurants to choose from that offer a range of different cuisines.

Asian Restaurants

Vegans craving an Asian-inspired meal find many choices in Alexandria. Many of the city's Asian restaurants have entire sections of the menu devoted to vegetarian and vegan patrons. The Asian Wok Cafe (no website; 828 N. Washington St.; 703-837-8811) is a Chinese restaurant with more than 10 vegan dishes on the menu. At the Bamboo Garden Restaurant (no website; 6331 S. Kings Hwy.; 703-768-2338), vegans can choose from more than 20 tofu dishes that are all prepared with vegetable oil. There are many vegetarian options on the menu at Oriental Star (orientalstarva.com) that are easily made vegan by requesting the chef use vegetable oil and no chicken stock.

Mexican Restaurants

Vegans who want to satisfy a craving for Mexican fare don't have to stick with a simple bowl of rice and beans. There are several restaurants to choose from in the Alexandria area that offer a variety of vegan-friendly Mexican favorites, including burritos, tacos and enchiladas. At Moe's Southwest Grill (moesdc.com), you'll find burritos, fajitas and tacos prepared with tofu and vegan guacamole. Make sure to remind the staff to leave the cheese and sour cream in the kitchen. Since all the dishes at Taqueria Poblano (taqueriapoblano.com) are prepared without using lard or chicken stock, making a meal vegan here only requires asking that your dish is served without cheese. If your order a salad, keep in mind that the avocado dressing does contain egg. Vegan options are also available at the California Tortilla (californiatortilla.com) and Chipotle (chipotle.com) chains.

Cafes

The menu at Caboose Cafe (caboose-cafe.com) features a variety of vegan choices such as the Greek salad, roasted vegetable panini, and hummus-and-cucumber sandwich. Make sure to request that any cheese toppings are omitted. Vegans at the Hard Times Cafe (hardtimes.com) enjoy the homemade vegan chili which is prepared with soy protein in place of meat. The menu at Le Pain Quotidien (lepainquotidien.com) changes regularly and features vegan specialities such as the vegan quiche and organic quinoa salad. Visit the Mediterranean Bakery and Cafe (no website; 352 S. Pickett St.; 703-751-0030) for a traditional Middle Eastern meal including homemade vegan pitas and even vegan desserts. The menu at Nickell's and Scheffler (nsfinefood.com) is chock-full of vegan soups, salads and sandwiches, with the option to create a personalized vegan panini.

Snacks and Smoothies

Telegraph Station (telegraphstation.com) is a bar and coffee shop offering up fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices in addition to light fare with vegan options clearly marked. Robeks (robeks.com) is a popular chain in Alexandria that creates made-to-order smoothies; vegan cookies and tofu wraps are also available. Alexandria even boasts zpizza (zpizza.com), a pizza joint that offers pies topped with vegan cheese and vegetarian "meat" crumbles.

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About the Author

Christine Argier began writing in 2004 and is backed by more than six years of experience working in the IT field. She holds CompTIA A+ and Green IT certifications and is also a Microsoft Office Master Specialist certified at the expert level in both Microsoft Word and Excel. Argier is currently working toward finalizing her CompTIA Technical Trainer certification (CTT+) and Adobe Certified Expert accreditation (ACE).